Search Results for: covid-19

Arrival of paperless office may have been accelerated by lockdowns

Arrival of paperless office may have been accelerated by lockdowns

paperless officeOne of the least talked about potential casualties of the recent lockdowns is the printed page. In a sign that the arrival of the paperless office may have been accelerated, total worldwide page volumes printed from office and home devices plummeted nearly 14 percent year in 2020 after several years of stable but slow decline. According to the research from International Data Corporation (IDC), 2.8 trillion pages were printed in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic and the dramatic shift from offices to work from home models are behind the sharp decline, even for those who can manage to get a printer to work in the first place. More →

Negative perceptions of remote work persist among both managers and workers

Negative perceptions of remote work persist among both managers and workers

remote workNew research from the US based Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) claims that there are widespread, persistent negative perceptions of remote work amongst line managers who are likely to express a preference for local work. In addition, remote workers themselves continue to express reservations about losing opportunities for networking and increased pay. More than two thirds of supervisors of remote workers surveyed by SHRM, or 67 percent, admit to considering remote workers more easily replaceable than onsite workers at their organization, 62 percent believe full-time remote work is detrimental to employees’ career objectives and 72 percent say they would prefer all of their subordinates to be working in the office. More →

London office leasing activity gathers momentum in Q2 2021

London office leasing activity gathers momentum in Q2 2021

LondonThere was a spring in the step of the central London office market in Q2 2021 with more businesses committing to new office space, as plans to return to workplaces took shape. Research by DeVono Cresa claims that just over 1.98 million sq ft was transacted, representing an upturn of 21 percent on the previous quarter and the highest quarterly total since the outbreak of the pandemic. More →

No rush to get back to the office despite easing of restrictions

No rush to get back to the office despite easing of restrictions

Why rush back to the office?Restrictions may have been lifted but there is no major rush for everyone to head back to the office. Many firms are being cautious about bringing employees back and the official government guidance is for employers to plan a gradual, safe return to places of work. Official guidelines aside, this doesn’t even start to factor in employees’ own attitudes to being back in the office. Certainly, there are plenty of people itching to be in and amongst the buzz of an office, popping out somewhere different each day for lunch and having that commute to distance work and home life. More →

Indoor air quality guide published by BESA

Indoor air quality guide published by BESA

indoor air qualityThe removal of most Covid restrictions in the UK has increased calls for clearer practical guidance and the setting of specific indoor air quality (IAQ) contaminant targets to support the health and wellbeing of building occupants. The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has, therefore, produced a concise guide to good practice: ‘Indoor Air Quality for Health & Well-Being’, which is designed to help building owners, managers and engineers interpret IAQ data and turn it into useful strategies for improving the indoor environment. More →

Technology is the great enabler for employee wellbeing programmes

Technology is the great enabler for employee wellbeing programmes

employee wellbeingTechnology is now integral for short and long-term employee wellbeing following the dramatic changes to working life caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Thomas Woods, Vice-President of Enterprise for Virtuagym, the global fitness technology provider.  The argument was made during a keynote presentation at the Virtual Engage Employee Wellbeing Conference, a case study led solutions event addressing the important challenges and opportunities relating to the mental, financial and physical health of people in the workplace. More →

St John Ambulance calls on employers to step up mental health support for workers

St John Ambulance calls on employers to step up mental health support for workers

St John AmbulanceSt John Ambulance is calling on employers to respond to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on workers’ mental health as it launches courses in how to talk about it with employees. More →

A digital presence saw some small businesses through Covid, but support now needed

A digital presence saw some small businesses through Covid, but support now needed

digitalNew research commissioned by Cisco claims the digital priorities and growth opportunities for small businesses in the UK, as they navigate a new hybrid world. More →

Majority of organisations are still developing a workplace strategy

Majority of organisations are still developing a workplace strategy

organisationsAccording to a new survey from XpertHR, 70 percent of organisations are still actively planning or considering permanent changes to where employees carry out their work as lockdown restrictions are lifted. Fewer than one in 20 (4 percent) are not contemplating any changes. More →

Employee productivity damaged by notification overload and urgent demands

Employee productivity damaged by notification overload and urgent demands

productivityMore than two-thirds (68 percent) of employees in the UK have admitted they get so many distractions and message notifications during work that it’s affecting their productivity. This is according to new research from Advanced which also claims 22 percent have so many distractions that their working day is never spent fully on actual work. More →

Millions of UK women reconsidering career options to allow more flexibility

Millions of UK women reconsidering career options to allow more flexibility

flexibilityNew research from beauty company Avon claims that nearly half (46 percent) of UK women are currently reconsidering their career options to allow more flexibility. More →

Shaping London’s future: Mayor’s Resilience Fund Winners Announced

Shaping London’s future: Mayor’s Resilience Fund Winners Announced

Mayor’s Resilience FundThe Mayor of London, in partnership with Nesta Challenges, has announced the winners of the Mayor’s Resilience Fund, a £1 million innovation programme set up to support London’s businesses and community groups to emerge stronger from COVID-19 and to ensure the capital is prepared for future disruptive challenges. More →